Joseffy

{{Infobox person

| image = Freud_aka_Joseffy_1908.pdf

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption = Frontispiece, "The Marvelous Creations of Joseffy" (1908)

| name = Joseffy

| birth_name = Josef P. Freud

| known_for = magic

| birth_place = Vienna, Austria

| birth_date = 3 March 1873

| occupation = magician

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1946|05|26|1873|03|03|df=yes}}

| death_place = San Antonio, Texas

}}

Josef P. Freud (also known as Joseffy) (3 March 1873 – 26 May 1946) was a Viennese magician.{{cite web |url=http://www.jimsteinmeyer.com/newsletter/archive/fall03.html|title=Jim Steinmeyer newsletter Fall 2003}}

Life

Joseffy came to the United States of America at the age of 19 where he worked at a Chicago Magic Store, building props and illusions. He invented a self-contained, no-thread version of The Rising Cards that astounded magicians of his day.{{cite web |url=http://www.magicnook.com/forum/bioHIJ.htm |title=Biographies Page H–I–J |access-date=13 October 2008 |archive-date=22 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322220130/http://www.magicnook.com/forum/bioHIJ.htm |url-status=dead }} One of his mechanical creations was "Balsamo, the Living Skull".{{cite book|author=David Phelps Abbott|title=The Marvelous Creations of Joseffy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nt43AQAAIAAJ|year=1908|publisher=Open Court Publishing Company|page=7}}; Peabody, J. L. 'Spirit Pictures and a Speaking Skull.' Popular Mechanics Magazine.39:6 pp. 817-820.

Joseffy was a performer at Coney Island as the Chautauqua & Lyceum headliner, and also played violin.{{cite web |url=http://www.floraco.com/lyceum/ |title=Chautauqua & Lyceum Magicians}} He eventually stopped performing and became an electrical engineer.{{cite web |url=http://geniimagazine.com/wiki/index.php/Joseffy |title=Joseffy MagicPedia entry}}